Uncle Ben’ tweet from Cuomo backer draws GOP ire

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — A lawyer’s tweet suggesting the GOP’s nominee for lieutenant governor could be a “spokesmodel for either Cream of Wheat, or Uncle Ben’s Rice” created controversy on Election Day for Democrats.

The lawyer, Andrew Barovick, later apologized and deleted the tweet. But first he accused the Republicans of faux outrage.

The original tweet, posted at 12:12 a.m. ET Tuesday said: “In light of election loss, @SheriffMoss mulling offers to be new spokesmodel for either Cream of Wheat, or Uncle Ben’s Rice.”

Barovick’s apology came too late for Richard St. Paul, an African-American attorney, who with two other men — John Burnett of the New York Republican State Committee and Mark McLean, president of the Gathering Men of New Rochelle — held a press conference outside Barovick’s law office on Wednesday.

St. Paul said Barovick’s tweets “violated the trust of the First Amendment.”

Though “even hate speech is protected,” he said, “the court of public opinion certainly doesn’t have to tolerate what you said about people of color.”